The Trail Of The Hunted
by it0takes0skills0to0be0me
Summary: She was the notorious criminal the 'Black Mask' and he was the Karakura police departments very own Lieutenant Kurosaki Ichigo, they were destined to forever hate one another but hey, what could she say, she was never one to follow the rules anyway.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my delicious blueberry muffins. **

**Its been awhile, huh? OK, so I'm just going to apologize right here, right now. I know, I'm a dick head and I really do feel some sense of guilt, but I just could not continue on with that piece of crap I called a story. So I deleted it and I am now starting over, determined to make it up to you guys. So read up and enjoy, oh and one more thing,**

**I'm back baby, and Its going to stay that way.**

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_Do you wanna know something funny- about the world?_

_You can't fix whats already broken._

_You can repair it, you can...pave over all of the little cracks and imperfections and fill the holes with plaster,_

_but everything,_

_Eventually._

_Falls._

_Apart._

_Yeah, everything breaks. _

_Nothing can withstand time its self, nothing lasts forever._

_Sure, you can fight to fix the flaws and you can keep working to make a perfect place in a so called perfect world but, as I have said from the beginning,_

_skyscrapers can fall,_

_houses can burn, _

_and In the end,_

_a spirit can be_ _**broken. **_

…_...  
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God, did she **hurt.**

It felt like a thousand knives were embedded in her left leg, tearing the flesh from the bone and causing her breathing to become shallow and unstable, coming out in short, panicked pants. The amount of blood oozing down her leg and onto the ground was sickening, the liquid was easily seeping through her black-spandex pants and the sleeves of the tight shirt she was wearing, it also didn't help much that she was running and jumping over roof tops, stretching her injured leg and having pain shoot up her spine.

She couldn't believe she had been that _stupid. _Walking right into a trap that the boys in blue had planned.

'_You could have been caught!'_

And she thanked god she hadn't been, jail was _**not **_on her agenda.

It was supposed to be a simple job, break into the vault at Karakura National bank and make a 'withdraw' of 10 G's, but not everything had went as planned. Her employers, the Italian mob, apparently had a cop on the inside, said guy tipped off the police and said police crashed the party and rained on her parade. She had barely been able to escape the damned building before it was surrounded, of course she only knew that the cops were there when she heard the tell-tale sign of guns being loaded, that had prompted her the grab one of the bags of money, ditch the goons that the mob had sent with her, and run like hell, escaping with her pay-check and a bullet stuck in her leg.

'_It could have been worse. At least I'm alive.' _

At least she got that months rent.

How much longer could she keep this up? This crappy life-time movie that she was living in, the beautiful girl haunted by the sins of her past, struggling to get by in the world and be someone, wanting to be loved. Then the guy of her dreams will came into her life and sweep her off her feet, telling her that he understands, that he's there for her.

'_Oh, did I mention he's rich?'_

No. She supposed her life was nothing like that at all. Although, the 'struggling to get by' part was right, as were the 'sins', but that's where the similarities ended. Hell, she was criminal for Pete's sake! Taking on gruesome jobs just to get some money to live, it was a despicable way of living for sure, but what else could she do? She was sinking in to deep to come out Scott-free now, no good guy would even look at her, they new she was trash. And honestly, she was just A-OK with that.

She didn't have the time to play games with a member of the opposite sex, she had a living to make after all.

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The pencil he was holding was thrown violently at the wall with a muttered curse.

She had gotten away _again,_ even after 'operation fuck up the bank heist' was put into motion. It had taken months of careful planning and weeks of climbing through the ranks of the mob, gaining the trust of the mob boss Salivatore Manny, all the while keeping and ear out for any information that he could feed to his fellow officers. Then the idea of the Karakura Bank Heist came up. Up until then, he had had no idea that the 'Black Mask,' a female criminal that the police could never seem to catch, was hired by the mob. That was of course until he stumbled upon a meeting between the masked villainess herself and Salivatore. The Italian man promised the woman 3 grand if she agreed to help with the robbery and she gave her consent.

As soon as there conversation was finished he was out of there and dialing the chiefs number.

"Ichigo, whats u-"  
"The Black Mask is working with Manny. There is a scheduled robbery Sunday at Karakura, we need all units at the bank at 5."

"Sunday? That's tomorrow!"

"I know. We have to move, if we can catch the Black Mask and some of the mob's goons then the criminals on the streets will be running scared."

"All right, all officers with be there."

"Good."

And that was the end of that conversation. The police had arrived at the bank right on time, catching the mob red handed with the money but no Black Mask. They surrounded the area, searching for her and just as they thought that she had gotten away a young officer had radioed that he had her cornered at the back of the building. When they reached the area the man was alone, pistol raised and breathing heavily, apparently the Black mask had given him quite a chase and he ended up shooting her, the end result was a winded officer but still no woman in black. She had gotten away even after getting shot in the damn leg.

"Fuck," he groaned into his palm "Just freaking fantastic."

That was the closest they had ever got to even touching the damned criminal and she still managed to slip through their fingers. After that disaster, the mob had figured out that there was someone tipping off the police so he ditched his black hair die and unshaven face and returned to the force.

It felt good to have his gun and badge back, to feel clean again. The dirty life of working for criminals was emotionally exhausting and he was glad that his time as an undercover agent was over. He wasn't sure if her could have taken much more of it.

His attention was dragged back to the gritty black and white photo of a young woman in black sprinting along the roof of a building. The Black Mask was an elusive pain in his ass and he was determined to find her. Her days as a criminal were dwindling because he would make sure that the next picture she would be in would be her mug-shot, free of the skin tight outfit, free of the smug smile she always had, and free of that damned Black Mask.

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**Hope you enjoyed! Now some of you might say that Orihime is a little OOC. Well, to me she's not and you will see her become more 'Orihime like' as the story progresses and she gets out of her criminal shell.**

**Thanks for reading and R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! Here's chapter two my little fluffy bunnies!**

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_Tattoos may have meaning but scars have story's. _

_And believe her, she had a lot of them._

_Each one told a story,_

_one of woe and pain._

_And each one say's,_

_**we are not the same.**_

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Orihime felt bile rise in the pit of her stomach as she gazed down at the bullet wound in her leg. There was blood.

'_Lots and lots of blood.'_

And it was spilling all over the white tile of the kitchen she was in. Gingerly, Orihime raised her hands and pressed them to the small hole in her leg, trying to staunch the bleeding and hide the gruesome sight. A small mewl of pain escaped from her parted lips and Orihime's head fell back against a cabinet door.

God did it hurt. If she didn't know any better she would say that _this _was what hell felt like. A burning, itching, throbbing pain that slowly washed over you in waves, the experience only getting even more excruciating as it progressed.

This was going to leave a scar, she was sure of it. And with her luck, she would be forced to carry the burden of her own stupidity for the rest of her life.

After she had narrowly escaped capture, Orihime had run like she had never ran before, hoping upon hope that she could make it back to her apartment. Luck seemed to never be on her side these days because after a mile or two of leaping from rooftop to rooftop Orihime realized that she was seeing double and had to duck into a random open window to escape a patrolling police man who just happened to look up.

'_If I live long enough, that is.'_ she thought bitterly. Feeling seemed to drain from her body and Orihime recognized the signs of shock immediately. Her own body was shutting down on her and she was powerless to stop it. She was stuck in a random stranger's kitchen unable to move, bleeding heavily, and dying all alone. Tears formed in her eyes and she let out a short, humorless laugh.

'_Sora's probably laughing his ass off in heaven right now._'

That was true. Her mentor was most likely sitting on his cloud eating popcorn and openly snorting at her predicament.

She felt a small smile form across her lips and Orihime closed her eyes in bliss, tears flowing freely down the black mask and her cheeks. Unconsciousness was wrapping around her mind like a heavy blanket and she no longer had the ability to feel or hear.

The city of sirens was, for the first time in her life, silent.

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It had been a late night.

The bar had been completely packed and Tatsuki had had her hands full juggling trays of drinks and buckets of beer and delivering them to drunken men.

She pocketed her tips with a sigh and wrapped herself up in a coat before leaving the bar and walking out into the cold night. Her brows furrowed as she watched four police cars speed down the road, lights flashing and sirens roaring, going towards the center of the city.

'_Most likely to the bank._' she thought with a snort, there was never really a day when that damned place wasn't getting robbed.

That's why she preferred to keep her money hidden under a lose floorboard in her apartment.

'_Its certainty safer there than in Karakura.' _

Tatsuki shook her head and started heading home, walking past late night drunks and druggies and making her way up the steps of her complex. Her keys jingled in her hand as she unlocked apartment number 210 and Tatsuki stepped inside. The space was small but it was home and that was all that mattered to her.

She was immediately assaulted with the strong smell of pennies. She could recognize that scent anywhere. Blood. Someone was in her apartment and bleeding. Tatsuki reached inside her purse and brought out a pistol, when you were a woman who worked and lived in the slums it was best that you had some form of protection.

Moving deeper inside the living room her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, nothing moved inside the room so she deemed it safe.

She started to walk towards the kitchen, cocking the pistol and holding it at ready before kicking the flimsy, swinging door open and flicking the light on. What she saw made her mouth drop open in houror.

The Black Mask was in her kitchen.

'_The Black Mask is in my fucking kitchen!'_

A pool of blood surrounded the notorious criminal and the woman's breathing was slow and shallow, her eyes closed in obvious pain. The black mask only made her paper white skin stand out and Tatsuki was sure that the woman had lost a severe amount of blood. Her eyes drunk in the nasty looking bullet wound on the Black Mask's leg and she put her own gun down onto the table before kneeling next to the other woman.

She was dieing.

That thought hit her like a ton of bricks and Tatsuki knew that she had to do something, and fast. Should she let the criminal die? Should she get her to a hospital? Call the cops? Her mind was a whirl-wind of thoughts, questions and no answers. But one thing was clear, no way she was risking her own safety. If the police got a hold of the Black Mask then Tatsuki was sure that the other woman would would break out of what ever jail they put her in and come after her and she wasn't exactly sure how she would deal with a super criminal coming after her ass looking blood. She shivered at the thought,

'_Looks like I'm on my own with this.'_

So making up her mind, Tatsuki quickly stood up and went to grab some bandages and alcohol.

'_Fuck. What did I get myself into this time?'_

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**Hope you guys enjoyed! I suppose its a rather short chapter but I'm happy the way it came out. Tatsuki makes her appearance too! Please R&R and I will be sure to update as soon as I can, all of your reviews are much appreciated and I can't wait to see how you guys liked the chapter. Did you like the flow? Was Tatsuki OOC? Is Orihime going to die? Find out next time in The Trail Of The Hunted!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! **

**I'm back with another installment of 'The Trail of The Hunted.' A special thanks to all who reviewed and left me feedback, it is much appreciated and it helped me write this chapter. So I would like to present to you...**

**Chapter 3**

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_You and I, we may look the same_

_But we are very far apart_

_There's bullet holes were my compassion used to be_

_And there is violence in my heart._

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Tatsuki swallowed dryly and stared at the sleeping woman before her.

'_The police are going to find out. There going to break down the fucking door and haul my ass to jail, taking the damned criminal with them. And one night while everyone's sleeping, the Black Mask is going to brake out of her cell and gut me with a broken fingernail all because she got caught under my supervision.' _

She shook her head to rid her mind of the thought. That was ridiculous, Tatsuki doubted that anyone could kill someone with only a broken fingernail. Then again, the Black Mask wasn't just anyone. The woman could escape from a burning jewelery store with a bag full of jewels and the whole police force on her tail, running on foot mind you, and still get away. Tatsuki wasn't kidding, she had seen the entire footage of the chase, caught on camera by some teenager, on the news a couple of months ago.

It both terrified and impressed her what this small woman could do. In the man's world that was the city of Karakura, when a woman was strong enough to take the entire mob and police force together, it sure as hell made her enemy's and friends. And Tatsuki was loathe to admit it, but every time she would watch TV and see the Black Mask kick the shit out of anyone who messed with her, it caused her to smile just a tiny bit. The Black Mask was far from a hero, not even a vigilante. But the woman's courage was astounding and Tatsuki found herself with a small sense of respect for the criminal, anyone who could fight like her deserved a little bit of it anyway.

A loud groan shook her out of her thoughts and she focused her gaze onto the couch. She winced slightly at the sight of the bloody mess that was the Black Mask.

'_That was one hell of a bullet wound.'_

She remembered her horrified wince as she cut the black spandex away from the wound, the bullet was lodged pretty deep inside of her calf and Tatsuki had to dig it out.

'_Good thing she was knocked out cold, or else she would have been screaming her ass off.' _She thought shaking her head.

Another groan was heard and Tatsuki watched as the other woman came awake, sitting up slowly and surveying her surroundings, before doubling over in pain. She walked over to the Black Mask and reached for the woman's shoulder but froze halfway when suddenly a knife was at her throat and her hands were trapped at her sides.

She hadn't even seen her_ move_.

One minute the other woman was clutching her leg in pain, and the next she had jumped up and was behind Tatsuki, pressing a knife to her throat and rendering her arms immovable. Hell, Tatsuki didn't even know were the woman had gotten a knife! She had made sure to take all weapons off of the criminals person, but apparently she had missed one.

"Were am I, and how did I get here." It wasn't a question, it was a demand and Tatsuki was not going to just sit back and be controlled.

"Let me go and I'll tell you." she countered.

The woman behind her stayed silent, apparently thinking it over before backing up, giving Tatsuki some much needed space from the deadly weapon at her throat. She nodded and gestured for her to start.

She swallowed nervously and explained how she had found her. The Black Mask was silent, her lips pressed into a firm frown and Tatsuki shifted uncomfortably,

'_why wasn't she saying anything?'_

"Why help me?"came the sad question and Tatsuki felt her eyebrows shoot up. Why had she helped her? Well one of the reasons was that she didn't want to call the cops and get thrown in jail for aiding a criminal. But the next one was less selfish... more, humane.

"You would have died."

The Black Mask smiled dryly and let out a bitter laugh, "I hate to brake it too you, but a lot of people want me dead and eventually, they will succeed. You should have let me die. Who knows? The mob might have even given you a little reward for aiding in my demise."

"I don't want money. You were hurt and I helped, whats so hard to understand?"

"Why didn't you turn me in? Or take of my mask? You have to have some kind of other motive for helping me!" The calm in the woman's expression was gone, replaced by an angry scowl and flashing eyes and Tatsuki dimly realized that the Black Mask's grip on the knife had gotten tighter but she was lost in her own world.

Why hadn't she taken off the woman's mask? It would have been easy to reach over and pluck the damn piece of plastic right off of the criminal's face, to see what really lied behind it. She would have probably been the only one to ever see behind the mask. But the thought had never even crossed Tatsuki's mind. Taking advantage of the Black Mask's bullet wound was a cheap and dirty move and she was all about fighting fair.

So meeting the criminal's eyes and doing her best to keep her gaze strong, she told the woman just what she had thought.

"Taking off your mask would have been low. And I don't resort to cheap tricks."

They stared long and hard at each other, each refusing to back down, before the Black Mask lowered her head and turned on her heal, going through the door to the kitchen and making her way to the window. Tatsuki followed, blinking in shock when the criminal stepped through the open window and onto the seal.

The Black Mask looked over her shoulder and gave Tatsuki a small smile,

"Thanks."

And then she jumped.

Tatsuki's jaw dropped and she sprinted over to the window, looking down at the ground, sure she was going to see a dead woman covered in black. She saw none.

A loud whistle sounded above her and Tatsuki's neck craned upwards to look up at the roof of her building. The Black Mask looked down on her with a smile, she gave a little wave before disappearing out of her vision.

Tatsuki shook her head mystified. She had just come knife to face with a damned super criminal and lived to tell the tale.

"Hell yeah."

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**And there you have it folks! Tatsuki has her first conversation with Orihime!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed and R&R please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm so sorry about the wait! I was in Washington DC for a few weeks and didn't have my laptop, hence the late update. But I'm back now and ready to bring you some more criminally-goodness VIA Orihime Inoue. **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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_L._

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_V._

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_is just another word I never learned to pronounce._

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"I'm s-sorry! G-god, I'm so fuckin' sorry! Just don't kill me, you'll get your damn money! I promise!" The man cowered in his chair, sweat pouring down his flabby cheeks and pupils dilated in fear.

"This is the sixth promise you have made to me, Salivatore. For months I have waited quite patiently for my money, and believe me, I am not a patient man.

Now tell me,

Were. Is. The. Money."

"I-it was on its way to you! Y-yeah, yeah, we planned a robbery and everything was goin' smooth, you know? 'till the damn-"

The tall man across from him cut in abruptly,

"Did you hire the Black Mask like I said? You didn't, disobey...me? Did you Sal?"

"No, no! Of course not! We hired her all right, said she could get three G's out of the deal."

"Oh? And where is she now? In jail with the rest of your pathetic groupies?"

"N-no. She got shot in the leg, but as far as I know, she got away."

"Really now? How is it that one woman can get away from the police and your men can't, hmm? Answer me that."

"S-she's got special skills, talents that no one else has! She's like a fuckin' shadow that can disappear at anytime!"

Sal flinched in his leather chair as the man let out a long, chilling laugh, the sound bouncing off of the walls and penetrating his ears.

"You make it sound as if she is inhuman. Is she an alien to you Sal?"

"No, it's just that..she's not normal, man. It almost seems like she's immortal, taking shots but never being killed. It's damn creepy!"

The man cocked his head to the side, staring down at the cowering figure in front of him with distaste.

_'How sad,'_ he thought,_ 'look at how the mighty have fallen.' _

He leaned in close to Manny's face, making sure the other man's eyes were firmly on him, and in a whisper said,

"Immortal. You think this lowly woman is immortal? Oh no, how wrong you are Sal. She can be cut, and bloodied and broken. You take off the mask, and you can see, she is just a woman. A human, just like you. Just. Like. Me. She is no immortal being, and it shocks me to hear other wise. I want you to bring her to me, and if you do all debts shall be forgotten. I shall show you just how _human _she can be, for she shall bleed out red blood, she shall scream out in agony, and She. Will. Brake."

Shivering in fear, Sal lowered his head and nodded.

"Yes Azien."

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Ichigo scowled at the man across from him in aggravation,

"Shinji, I don't need a fucking week off," he practically growled, "Hell, I don't even need a day! I'm perfectly fine and I was actually **happy**to come back to the force."

"Look kid, I get that, but regulation says you gotta stay away from work for awhile, you know to relax and all that jazz. Don't you want a little break? I would freaking kill for one."

"Like hell you lazy bastard! I don't want a brake, all I want to do is take back my badge and put some damn criminals behind bars."

"Well too damn bad, your taking the brake and your gonna like it, or else."

Snarling, Ichigo leaned in close "Or else what? What are you gonna do about it 'captain'?"

Shinji's lips curled into a grin and he let out a chuckle,

"Unless you wanna be on the receiving end of Hiyori's flip flop, I would take the damn vacation punk."

Said punk flinched and sat back in his chair with a defeated scowl firmly planted on his face, "You suck."

Shinji only grinned wider and narrowly dodged the punch that was thrown at his face.

"I know."

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Home.

She had made it home.

She was bruised, battered, and virtually unable to move, but at least she was safe. For the time being that is.

Orihime glanced down at her wrapped leg and smiled slightly as she remembered the woman who patched her up. She was _interesting_, to say the least. Not many sane people would just randomly save a super criminal from death, or not call the police for that matter.

'_She didn't even try to take off my mask.'_

The woman had said something about playing fair. It was almost laughable, this woman's morals. No one in Karakura played by the rules.

'_Its practically unheard of.' _

She thought bitterly.

But the woman did help her. She had patched her up and did it without expecting anything in return and for that, Orihime would be internally grateful. It seemed that there actually was hope for the people in this damn city.

Sighing, Orihime turned onto her side, the old couch creaking with her weight. Tomorrow she would have to go out and by some more bandages,

'_and pain killers.'_

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**Hope you liked it! Please R&R! And to all of the people who continue to review and make my day, thank you all so much it means alot!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry guys! My laptop broke and I had to borrow my friend's and with the damn hurricane coming... Well, lets just say things are crazy here in Key West. I've been putting up shutters, both mine and others, for the past two days and I'm exhausted. But I knew I had to get a chapter up, so here's chapter five of 'The Trail of The Hunted.'**

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Being in a profession such as his, Grimmjow had thought that he had been asked to do just about every crazy 'job' out there.

"You want me to fucking do what?!"

But sitting here, across from his old friend Salivatore Manny, Grimmjow had finally concluded that the other man had officially lost it.

Said man sighed deeply, like it would be the last breath he ever took, and gazed across the wooden desk at Grimmjow with sunken eyes.

"I need you to bring me the Black Mask," he said after a beat of silence.

Laughing incredulously, Grimmjow roughly threaded his fingers through his hair. "Shit man. I heard you clearly the fucking first time, 'doesn't make it any less insane."

Salivatore closed his eyes tightly, like he was trying to block out the surrounding world and sagged down into his leather chair with a grimace.  
"I need a drink," he growled quietly.

Grimmjow bared his teeth and leaned forward, resting his hands on his thighs. "So why exactly do you need the Black Mask and uh, why do you want me to be the one who brings her to you? In case you don't remember, I'm a hit-man. I fucking kill people for a living, I don't tie 'em up and throw them in the trunk."

Manny cracked open his eyes and glared at Grimmjow. "I'm not appreciating the tone, boy."

Grinning, Grimmjow's own eyes narrowed. "And I don't give a damn. Now answer the fucking question or this nice, shiny desk of yours is going to covered in, well, you." this statement was punctuated by a silver revolver being slapped onto the desk.

The two men sat staring at each other, neither willing to back down, before Manny's lips lifted into a small smirk. "Nice to see you haven't changed Grimmjow."

The man in question let out a bark of laughter in return and withdrew the gun from the polished desk. "So you gonna tell me or not?" he spoke with roll of his eyes.

Salivatore regarded Grimmjow over intertwined fingers and let out a breath of air. "Have you ever heard of Sosuke Aizen?" he spoke after a tense silence.

Grimmjow felt his eyebrows raise in interest, "Leader of the Japanese mob?"

Manny nodded.

"Then hell yeah I have. Word on the street is that he's creepy as hell, has a small army of the best of the best." Grimmjow said with a snort, "Cant fuckin' believe it either, why am I not there?"

Manny licked his dry lips and, for the first time in days, let his exhaustion catch up to him.

"Hey," Grimmjow said suddenly, Manny could almost see the light bulb go off in his head and smiled dryly. "Don't you owe him money?"

Salivatore nodded slowly and Grimmjow let a smirk come to his face, "Let me know I'm fucking getting this right. You owe him, he wants something he cant get, so he purposes a trade off. You get him the Black Mask and he forgets the debt."

Sal nodded once more and Grimmjow shook his head with a laugh, "Am I missing anything?"  
"You forgot the part where I ask you for help."

"Oh right," Grimmjow laughed, "then you ask **me** for help!"

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Ichigo glared up at the sky as he walked the busy street of Monroe Avenue, it was a dreary looking day but that was nothing new, the sky was always dark in the black hole that was Karakura. A scowl stayed firmly placed on his face, daring anyone to look at him, let alone talk to him. His body cut a towering shadow across the sidewalk and all together, he looked menacing. People glanced at him and hurried away, chattering away nervously to them selves. Ichigo rolled his eyes when he heard the word 'thug' said more than once.

"If only they knew," he muttered under his breath. Ichigo knew he did not look anything like a cop, with his bleached looking orange hair and the scars that laced up his arms like rope, he looked more like a mugger or something of the sort. Smirking slightly at his thoughts, Ichigo turned into a small corner store, a bell tinkling when he stepped through the door. The cashier at the counter raised his head and gave a small wave that Ichigo returned with nod.

"Yo, Mizuiro." he said as he moved towards the dairy aisle, passing a small red-headed woman looking at bandages, he furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed she immediately stiffened when he passed by. He frowned in confusion and stopped to look back at the woman,

"Excuse me miss? You OK?"  
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Orihime could barley contain her gasp when she spotted **him, **when **he** spoke. She recognized him, oh yes she did, how could you not? Lieutenant Kurosaki Ichigo was well known in the Kurakura underground for his shocking orange hair and the scars that ran up his arms, he had put so many thugs, lowlifes, and murderers behind bars that most thought that he had once been a criminal himself, he sure knew how law breakers thought.. But he had never caught her, no one has! And she was determined to keep it that way, so taking a deep breath, Orihime turned to face the man that, if he knew who she really was, could throw her in jail faster that she could say run,

and smiled.

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**And scene! Whew, that one was hard to write. I hope you all enjoyed it I know I loved writing it. Its getting real rough here in key west guys, windy as hell, poring of and on, my dogs freaking out. Ugh, and my head hurts A LOT. I can hear my shutters banging against my windows, thank god the power hasn't gone out or I would be screwed X(**

**Well Please R&R! It would mean so much,**

**AND THANKUOU ALL WHO REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER, YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU ALL. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO ALL OF YOU THAT INSPIRE ME TO KEEP ON WRITING.**

**Thank you again XD.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Um...yep X) I'm just going to start the chapter and run away from all of the flying fruit coming my way!**

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'_Beautiful,' _

This was the word that echoed through Ichigo's mind as he gaped, open-mouthed at the woman before him. Vaguely he realized that all his staring was bound to be making her feel uncomfortable, yet his eyes remained glued and his faced remained twisted in a fish-like expression. The smile on the woman's face seemed frozen in place and Ichigo regarded that fake grin with interest. It seemed cold and unfeeling, obviously no real emotion had gone into forming that simple twist of the lips. Yet her eyes, they were _alive._ Real emotion could be seen in the gray depths of her glittering orbs, there was nothing fake about her eyes. Then the pure surprise and emotion disappeared all together and a frigid cold settled in and her expression froze into a mask so perfected, that Ichigo would have not suspected a thing had he not seen the real emotion that was on her face just minutes before. Idly he wondered what horror this woman had been through to be able to close her self up so thoroughly.

Orihime became aware that she was staring about half way through checking him out. Checking out THE, Lieutenant Kurosaki Ichigo, THE police officer Kurosaki Ichigo, THE man that could throw her in jail if he knew just who he was looking at... Mentally she smacked her head over and over into a brick wall, cursing her self for her stupidity.

'_Off limits, danger, danger Hime,' _

Checking her expression Orihime was horrified to realize that she was laying her emotions out on a silver platter. Immediately she shut down, made her eyes go dead and replaced the shocked twinkle in her orbs with cruel amusement.

"Sir?"

Ichigo blinked in confusion at the deja vu he felt as he listened to her silky voice run down his spine.

Her bell-like laughter invaded his ears and Ichigo mentally shook him self out of his stupor.

"I-I'm sorry, wha?"

Orihime made sure her smile was razor sharp, previous attraction long gone.

"Do you feel OK, Sir?"

The sheer venom injected into her tone almost made him wince,

"Fine," he muttered, a little put out.

"Good," she said briskly, "I guess I'll be going then." And with that she turned on her heel and stomped away to the end of the aisle, dropping her box of bandages and wincing with every step she took.

Ichigo watched her go with a growing disappointment that was surprising to him. Again a sense of deja vu hit him hard, watching her walk away her stance was almost..._defensive._ Like she was running away from something; escaping. Glancing back down at the deserted box of bandages Ichigo decided to go with his gut and figure out just what made this girl so intriguing. In one swoop he ducked down, grabbed the box and sprinted down the aisle. Skidding around the corner Ichgio called out to the woman just as she was about to step outside the store.

"OI!"

The bell tinkled softly overhead as Orihime froze in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder at the man that was very quickly becoming the bane of her existence both in her criminal life and now in her personal life.

"Yes," she said softly, praying that he could hear the distaste in her voice.

He let out an a tiny smirk that made her flush slightly in anger. He KNEW she didn't like him, the bastard!

"You dropped this Miss." He waved the bandages at her and she cursed her luck. Walking over to him, she plucked the box out of his hands and limped over to the check-out counter.

"Just this please." She mumbled.

Ichigo grinned and nodded at Mizuiro who winked back. Orihime eyed this exchange with distaste, she snatched the change from the cashiers hand and was about to limp to the door when the box was pulled from her grasp. She whirled around with a growl and glared at him, Ichigo merely shook his head with a smile and plucked a pen from the counter before writing something on the box. Orihime snatched the box out of his hand and glared at him.

"You little-"

"Miss, your receipt." Mizuiro interrupted smoothly. She directed her ferocious gaze on him and only took the slip of paper out of his hand when it was waved it front of her face. Muttering a variety of insults and threats and throwing her hands up in frustration Orihime limped to the door with a scowl announcing her leaving with a simple,

"Men!" as if that explained everything.

Following close behind, Ichigo stepped outside of the door moments after her. The woman was quickly stomping down the sidewalk, he let a small smirk come to his lips as he called out after her,

"Can I at least now your name?"

Orihime abruptly stopped and turned her head to look at him, feeling compelled through some unfathomable reason to answer. This man was a temptation, a cop, a **good guy**. She was a thief, a low life, someone who was **evil. **Yet it seemed that the age old saying, 'opposites attract,' was correct. So, she answered,

"Orihime."

Ichigo nodded slightly, it fit her. And with one last smirk, he turned around and strode in the oppisite direction. Never once looking back but still keenly aware that he had her full attention.

Orihime watched him go slack-jawed and looked down at the box in her hands, on the front was a phone number and next to that phone number a name was printed: Ichigo Kurosaki.

Rolling her eyes Orihime looked up to the sky and gave a disbelieving laugh.

"Men." she said with a sigh.

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Across the street, Yammy watched the scene unfold with interest.

He looked down at the grainy black and white photo of a figure dressed in black and up at the cute, young thing across the street.

Grunting Yammy nodded in approval, she definitely matched the description. He fished a cell phone out of his large coat pocket and dialed out his bosses number,

"Yo, Grimmjow? Yeah, I think we've found our girl. But you wanna know the interesting part? Ichigo Kurosaki from the boys in blue seems to be with her."

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**Done. :) Things are starting to heat up, no? I just would like to thank all of my reviewers for sticking with this story and I hoped you enjoyed. Any questions, comments, or feedback? Well then, please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys are the best and I'm really glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! **

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_He had his serious face on again, his eyebrows were drawn together and a deep concentration marred his features. He looked older that his 24 years of age, like he had seen the horrors of the world and then some. Orihime decided that she did not like this face, it scared her. Biting her lip in thought Orihime glanced at her brother again, the pain in his eyes was just two much to bare for her ten year old self. She shifted and he turned his dead gaze to her, looking but not really seeing. _

"_Brother?" she prompted softly._

_He let out a breath and patted his knee, she got up from her position by the fire and walked over to him. He patted his knee once more and Orihime felt an irritated protest begin to form on her lips, she was not a child anymore after all! He seemed to sense what she was going to say though and he closed his eyes sighing._

"_Orihime please," his voice was broken and hitched and she was suddenly glad that she could no longer see his eyes. Thous dead, dead orbs that glittered with a fractured beauty. "please just...just sit. I need to tell you something."_

_So she sat and was immediately engulfed in her brothers warmth. They sat like that in silence for a long while and Orihime was not sure, but she swore she felt something wet on the back of her head. _

_'tears?' _

_but that was silly, **he** didn't cry. He was strong._

"_Brother?" she murmured once more as she became uncomfortable with the heavy silence. "You-"she swallowed the lump in her throat, "you said you had something to tell me?" _

_She heard him take a shuddering breath._

"_I have d-done many bad things." he whispered to her. She nodded, "I know." _

"_I still do in fact. I have broken and hurt and **taken**, God. I have taken so many things that were not meant for me."_

_Orihime tilted in his arms to see his face and was shocked to find that there were indeed tear tracks leading from his eyes. "Brother," she shook her head, " y-you have told me all of this before."_

"_I know," he whispered, "I know, but not all of it."_

"_Brother, this is... I mean we are just trying to survive!"_

"_ORIHIME" her mouth snapped closed and her eyes went wide. _

"_Orihime y-you need to listen. Listen to me please." her brothers teeth clenched and his body shook from anguish, she nodded. _

"_In this world, this banged up and bloody world, there are three very different kind of people. There are hero's, people that save and help and pick up the shards of a broken person and make them whole again."_

"_Like doctors?" she whispered._

"_Like doctors." he nodded. "Then there are villains. Bad people who love nothing more that to cause pain and destruction. They are the ones that hero's must clean up after."_

"_Daddy, was he a-"_

"_Yes." _

_She let out a shaky breath. "Oh."_

"_And then there are survivors. People that pick themselves up from utter destruction and **live.** They stay in between the gray area of being a hero or a villain. They are neither good nor bad, they do things just to survive."_

_Orihime smiled at him shakily, "I guess that were survivors then, huh?"_

"_No," his voice shook. "No. **You **are a survivor."_

"_But brother... we both... I mean we both steal, right? That makes you just as much as a survivor as I am!"_

"_Orihime," he said softly. "When some one kills...they walk straight through the line that separates themselves from the villains. They become monsters."_

_Her heart clenched and Orihime realized just exactly who he was talking about._

"_It was self defense though, He was beating you to death!"_

_Fresh tears gathered in his eyes and Orihime felt her eyes moisten also. _

"_No. No. He. Wasn't. T-that's the thing I've been keeping from you. He stopped. God the bastard had stopped hitting me and had left me bruised but not dieing. Not even close. But I was just so fed up with being a punching bag for him and you...you were growing up. I couldn't let you have the same fate as me.. so I took a knife."_

_Horror, fresh, hot, and stinging washed over her and Orihime felt herself go dizzy._

"_W-what did you do with the knife."_

_He stared into her eyes, broken and lost and in so much** pain**. _

"_I stabbed it through his heart."_

_A sob broke out of her lips and she buried her head into his chest. "It's OK, it's OK, it's OK. You were being abused. You had no choice!"_

"_No Orihime, you always have a choice in life. Always."_

_Lip quivering, Orihime felt her heart beat ferociously in her chest. "Why are you telling me this?" she cried._

"_I don't have much longer, Hime. **his** 'friends' will find me soon."_

"_Friends?! What friends?!"_

"_I'm a monster Orihime. The bastard that tried to save you but only will cause you so much more pain in the long run."_

"_Then your a hero!" she shouted, grasping at straws. "You helped save me!"_

"_No," he whispered. "Hero's don't kill their fathers."_

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Orihime caught herself glancing down at the box of bandages once more in the time span of six minutes and she groaned to herself in exasperation as she caught the name and number inked onto the face of the cardboard box. A smile played at her lips as she recalled his self satisfied strut as he walked away, proud that she had actually told him her name.

"He was quiet persistent," she murmured to herself. In fact, if she had not caved and told him _something_ she was sure that he would have most likely pushed her until he got his information. He was a determined man and Orihime found that a police officer was exactly the perfect job for him. He had the tough man scowl the strong spirit and the need, the _desire_ to help the innocent, to be a savor, a **hero.** The word brought up a distant and unpleasant memory, shuddering she forced it down deep into her heart.

"_Somethings are better left untouched."_ she thought to herself. Something clattered to the ground behind her and Orihime instinctively jumped to the side and pressed her back firmly to a brick wall. She looked around wildly and noticed a trash can knocked to the ground, it's contents strewn over the concrete. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest and she swallowed dryly.

'_Somethings not right_,' her mind whispered. She scanned the surrounding area and saw nothing. '_somethings there. I can feel it.'_ was her last thought before a hand curled around her wrist and she was yanked into an alley.

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**DUN DUN DUN! I'm an asshole, I know and I can assure you I take pride in it. Thank you all so much for reading and please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm way late again. -.- I know and I am truly sorry, school and family has just gotten in the way lately. But enough about my problems! You guys are ah-mazing! 100 REVIEWS, LIKE SERIOUSLY?! Ever since I've started my fanfiction account I have always dreamed of even reaching twenty reviews. Let's just say that I'm happy I made it WAY past that number. Hope you enjoy the chapter you supportive bastards! **

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She hit the wall with a dull thud and grunted slightly in pain as her head cracked against rough brick. Meaty hands crushed her left hand to the wall, scraping the flesh and leaving fresh blood to smear. Balling up her other hand into a fist, Orihime swung at her attacker, managing to connect solidly with a large stomach and she was satisfied to hear a male's grunt of pain before her right hand was grabbed and slammed into brick.

Glaring at the man before her, Orihime kicked out and landed a hit to the shin. He stumbled back and she wrenched her wrists free before spinning around and slamming her foot into his face. The heavy-set man hit a rusty, green dumpster and slumped to the ground slightly before he staggered to his feet. Orihime took a fighting position and got a good look at her attacker for the first time. The brightly colored Mohawk on top of the man's chunky head stood out like a beacon in the receding day light, the sleeveless shirt he wore only emphasized his large, muscular build and the tattoo that laced up his arm. She immediately recognized the inky sign of the new up-and coming Coasta mafia. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke in the voice she used only if she was masquerading as the Black Mask.

"That was a nice surprise. Although, attacking defenseless woman in a deserted alley way is a little _low_.I mean, the Coasta mob is all about _morals_ right?" Her voice was low and mocking and she kept her body language relaxed even as her blood raced. The man let out a deep chuckle and straightened his hunched posture. He stepped towards her and she instinctively took a step back, towards the back of the alley and a dead end. "So you are the infamous 'Black Mask'? There is quite a price on your head."

Her lips lifted into a small, humorless grin. "What else is new."

Nodding in agreement the man observed her with interest. "I must say, you are not what I was expecting Orihime Inoue."

Her back stiffened and she scowled. "Enough of these pleasantry's. How do you know my name. Why are you here. And, most importantly. Who. Sent. You."

Silence echoed as neither party moved. The world around them seemed to slow and Orihime waited for her answer with a patience that was born completely from sitting on uncomfortable rooftops for hours, waiting for the right moment to strike. The man shifted and placed his large hand on the holster at his hip deliberately, making Orihime immediately go into a defensive pose. "You are tense." The man observed.

Gritting her teeth, she kept her eyes on his hip. Getting shot again was not on her agenda. "Gee, I wonder why." Her comeback was almost an after thought.

"No force will be necessary if you come with me quietly." Orihime gave a slight laugh. '_How many times have I heard __**that**__ before._' "And where exactly will you be taking me? Some place nice I hope." She crept backwards, towards the wall, and started to circle around the man to the opening of the alley. He watched her move, letting her pass him and increasing her anxiety when he made no move to lunge for her or draw his weapon. Foot steps echoed behind her and Orihime whirled around to the entrance only to find her exit blocked by another man. "I am sorry Miss. Inoue but I cannot let you leave. As I have said before, the reward for you is quite large."

"Reward issued by who." She spat as she struggled to keep both of the men in sight.

"Sosuke Aizen." Orihime froze at the mention of _that_ name, her fists clenching and releasing rhythmically.

The men began to close in on her, drawing their weapons in caution. "He has many people looking for you. Although, none of them are completely sure what he wants with you." Rage, fast and hot pumped through her veins.

"Who sent you!" She snarled, eyes flashing as they moved within punching distance of her. The men laughed slightly and aimed their weapons.

"Jin Kariya sends his regards." Then they attacked.

Orihime ducked a punch to the head and rolled out of the way just in time to miss a kick to the ribs. Sliding under the second mans legs, she made a break for the exit, pushing her already injured limbs to go faster. Heavy foot steps came up behind her and tackled her to the ground, she struggled to free her self, punching and kicking and screaming with primal rage. But between the strength of the two men, they managed to hold her down.

A van skidded to a stop feet from the alley and Orihime saw the door slide open. Realizing that it was intended for her, she struggled harder and managed to free an arm. She drew back her fist and right hooked the man with the Mohawk with all the strength her tired body could muster. His head whipped to the side with a crack and Orihime felt a sense of morbid satisfaction as a tooth flew clean out of his jaw. Cursing the man glared down at her and brought a hand up to his face.

"Should I crack her Koga?" The other man questioned. He brought the butt of his gun up and tapped her on the head with it a few times. 'Koga' nodded with a heavy frown on his face and leaned in close. His large hand slipped a piece of something into the pocket of her jeans. "Sora was a good man. Good luck, Hime." He whispered. Orihime had no chance to reply as the butt of the gun hit her in the head and blackness consumed her.

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_**He** had his **friends** over again. Seven year old Orihime watched from the shadows with her brother as her father and his **guests** laughed and whispered among themselves. She clutched Sora's arm tight and he stroked her hair with nimble fingers, hugging her to his chest. _

"_Who are they?" Orihime whispered with nervous curiosity. She looked up at her brothers bruised face. And he looked down at her lovely one. "Part of the mob," He whispered back. "Daddy," She noticed how he spat the title out with hate, "Works for them."_

_She turned back towards the men, looking at them with growing apprehension. "Are they going to leave?" The men had arrived at the dirty and broken household around ten o'clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning and showed no signs of leaving soon. Sora looked back at the men and sighed. _

"_I don't know." Sora studied his 'father' with a frown and noticed the empty beer bottles on the table. Two cases. He counted. Two cases of beer. _

_'He's going to want more.' He realized. And as if his father heard his thoughts, he glanced at the stairs and yelled, "BOY! GET DOWN HERE!" _

_Orihime squeaked in fright and the men quieted down to turn in their seats. They looked at the two in interest and Sora stood to walk into the room, Orihime clutching onto his pant leg and following. The men looked down to Orihime, having never really seen her before and she flushed in embarrassment. A few of the men grinned. Sora noticed this and scowled. "Yeah?" He addressed his father, causing the attention to focus on him. Tossing a fifty dollar bill onto the table, his 'father' never even glanced away from his card game. "Beer. You've got fifteen minutes." _

_Orihime looked up at her brother and he looked down at her, his gaze saying it all. Go to bed. She nodded with a small smile and turned to go back up stairs only to have a hand snag the back of her dress and drag her back. Her father lifted her onto his lap and the smell of alcohol invaded her nose. _

"_Gentlemen," His voice boomed in her ear, "You haven't met her yet if I remember correctly?" _

_Sora made a sound of protest but her father cut him off with a look. A tall man with brown hair who she would have classified as attractive had she been older leaned in and looked at her with interest. A piece of curly hair fell between his eyes yet he made no move to brush it back. He held out his hand with a smile on his lips that she did not completely trust. _

"_Sosuke Aizen, and you princess?" The men laughed as she blushed at the nickname. Lifting a tentative hand she place it in his, feeling like she had sealed her fate somehow. _

"_Orihime Inoue."_

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**Hope you enjoyed! Gosh I think that this was the longest chapter I have ever written. Please read and review and thank you for the 100 REVIEWS!**


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